1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to casino games and, in particular, to improvements in the methods of playing timed bonus games on an underlying game.
2. Background and Statement of the Problem
The casino-playing public is demanding more sophisticated forms of gambling, especially from slot machines. Slot machines with bonusing are becoming more popular, and a continual need exists to provide new, challenging, and exciting bonuses.
Furthermore, the public""s fascination with trivia continues unabashed as television trivia quiz shows continue to be very popular. Some of these shows (e.g., Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?) do not employ timers of any sort, while others (e.g., Jeopardy!) do. Still others utilize elapsed time in determining a contestant""s point-total and eliminate answers as a function of time, to encourage contestants to answer early but keep contestants with inferior knowledge in the game.
There exists a continual need to add more challenge, risk and excitement to a casino player""s experience. There exists a need to combine casino gaming and quiz trivia in the form of knowledge-based bonus games for an underlying casino gaming device.
Furthermore, there exists a continual desire to limit the temporal length of the bonus game, so as to maximize the house advantage and to minimize moneymaking xe2x80x9cdown timexe2x80x9d of the underlying casino gaming device.
Furthermore, there exists a desire to offer knowledge-based games in which the player who xe2x80x9cknowsxe2x80x9d the answer is rewarded with a greater prize than the player who xe2x80x9cguessesxe2x80x9d the answer.